Lehr feeder



June 4, 1940. I

J. E. FIGEL LEHR FEEDER Dec 5 e eet 1 Jfsszf 15. B441,

Jaw 904 ATZfORNEYj,

J. E. FIGEL LEHR FEEDER June 4, 1940.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. JEJ-sf E F/GEL.

J. E. FIGEL Lian FEEDER June 4, 1940.

Filed Dec. 3, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR. Jass: E. 17651..

Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STTES PATENT LEHR FEEDER Application December 3, 1938, Serial No. 243,708

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a lehr feeder particularly adapted for receiving a single row of newly formed glass articles from a molding machine and transferring the same in multiple rows to a conveyor which carries the same through an annealing lehr.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved construction for this purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure which performs this operation with a minimum of damage to the glassware.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure which is capable of handling a large number of articles in a relatively small time.

These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the structure disclosed in the following specification and the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view with parts removed showing a preferred form of the invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevational View thereof and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the operating mechanism.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings by way of illustration, the stationary framework of the machine includes a channel-shaped foundation member I having secured thereto a pair of vertical frame members H and l2.

A vertical drive shaft i3 is mounted on a suitable bearing carried by the foundation member it and may be rotated from any suitable source of power, such as an electric motor by means of reduction gears carried in a housing [4. A cam shaft is similarly mounted on the foundation member Ill. The shafts l3 and i5 each find an upper bearing in a member l6 which maintains the proper spacing between them and which may be suitably supported on the stationary frame structure if desired. The cam shaft 65 is driven by the drive shaft l3 through sprockets ii and I8 and a chain IS.

The drive shaft l3 carries at its lower end a sprocket 2i) about which. there is trained a conveyor chain 2!. The chain 2| carries a plurality of attachments 22 shaped as best seen in .Fig. 1 to present a substantially continuous conveyor surface which is capable of turning about the center of the sprocket 20. The chain 2| and attachments 22 form an endless conveyor which leads from a molding machine or other source of newly formed glassware.

Articles 23 may bereceived on said conveyor as indicated by the broken lines in Figs. 1 and 3.

slidably mounted on the frame members ll and i2 there is a pusher structure consisting of a pair of push rods 24 connected together at their rear ends by a cross member 25 and at their forward ends by a cross member 26 having an angle plate 2! secured thereto. The cross member 25 is faced with a plurality of strips. 28 of a material suitable for engaging the glassware without damaging the same. The cross member 26 has secured thereto a bracket is carrying a roller 30 engaged by a lever 3i pivotally mounted at 32 on a bracket 33 formed on the frame member l2. The lever 3i carries an arm M on which there is mounted a roller 35 engageable by a projection 36 on a cam 31 mounted on the cam shaft M. In the rotation of said cam shaft, the engagement of the projection 36 with the roller 35 presses the lever 3i outwardly and thus moves the pusher structure outwardly to push a plurality of the glass articles 23 from the conveyor 22 to a conveyor 38 which is constantly moved in a direction transverse to the movement of the conveyor 22 and which conducts the articles into and through an anneal ing lehr 39.

A pair of angle bars 43 are secured to the frame members H and I2 and have adjustably secured thereto a pair of bolts ii, each of which has anchored thereto a tension spring $2 anchored at its opposite end to the angle plate 21.. As the projection 36 clears the roller 35, the springs i2 return the pusher structure to its original position.

Each of the frame members H and it has mounted thereon a pair of vertical posts 43 on which there is slidably mounted a pair of vertically movable members l. Each of said members has slidably and rotatably mounted thereon a horizontally disposed rod t5, said rods being connected together at their rear ends by a cross beam 48 and at their forward ends by a cross beam ii. A cross member 58 is slidably mounted on the rods and is spaced from the members M by a pair of collars iii in the normal position of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. A pair of adjusting rods 50 threadedly engage suitable holes in' the cross member 43 and are journaled in the cross beam 46. The ends of the rods abut against the cross beam ll and the opposite ends are fitted with hand wheels 5! by means of which said rods may be turned to adjust the spacing between members 41 and 48. A pair of rods 52 are anchored to the cross beam 41 and pass freely through suitable openings in the members 48. Said rods have secured thereto tension springs 53, the opposite ends of which are anchored to the members 45. A vertical bar 54 is secured to the angle bar 21 and carries at its upper end a roller 55 positioned to engage the rear face of the cross member 48.

The cross beam s? has secured thereto adjacent each end a rack guide 56 with each of which there is slidably engaged a rack 51 engaging a pinion 58, said pinions being secured to the rods 5. The opposite end of one of the rods 45 carries a hand wheel 59 and a sprocket 50. The second of the rods 45 carries a sprocket 6!. A chain 52 is trained about said sprockets. An angle bar 63 is secured to the lower ends of the racks 5h In the normal position of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1,the springs 53 hold the cross bar 41 against the ends of the adjusting rods 50. Said rods are adjusted so that the angle bar 63 assumes the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3 in which it is spaced from the upper part of the articles traveling on the conveyor 22 sufficiently to permit said articles to pass without interference. The height of the angle bar 63 is adjusted by first loosening set screws ii lby means of which the rods 35 are secured to the cross members 45 and ll, and then turning the hand wheel 59 to move the angle member 53 upwardly or downwardly to the desired level. The set screws 55 are then tightened to retain the same at the proper level.

In the outward movement of the pusher structure, the roller 55 strikes the cross member 48 just before the article 23 reaches the angle member 63. During the remainder of the movement, said angle member travels to the right in Fig. 3 slightly ahead of the upper part of the article and thus prevents the same from being tipped over in the transfer from the conveyor 22 to the conveyor 38.

Each of the vertically movable members 44 has secured thereto a rack 55 engaging a pinion 65 carried by a shaft 5'! journaled in suitable bearings on the frame members Ii and i2 and extending through slotted openings in the members i i. Said shaft also carries a pinion 68 meshing with a horizontally movable rack 69 which is slidably mounted on a bracket iii carried by the frame member H. The rack 59 has secured to one side thereof a projection H positioned in the path of movement of a projection 12 on a cam l3 mounted on the cam shaft l5. A lever M is pivoted on a bracket l5 on the frame member i2 and normally is held by a tension spring it against a flange Tl formed on one of the vertically movable members 45.

Just before the roller 35 is released by the cam projection 36 to permit return movement of the pusher structure and the angle bar 63, the projection i2 strikes projection H and moves the rack 69 to the rear. The movement of said rack is transmitted by the pinion 68, shaft 61 and the pinions 56 to the racks 65 and the vertically movable members 44. These members are lifted thereby and carry with them the angle bar 63 to a sufficient height to clear the tops of the articles. At the same time, the flange 17 is lifted above the lever 14 so that said lever is free to move beneath said flange. The vertically movable structure is thus supported on the lever M through the return movement of the angle bar 63 which thus passes over the articles which have just been placed on the conveyor 38 and such other articles as may be coming in on the conveyor 22. After the return movement is completed, the projection 12 strikes the end of the lever M and moves said lever to its original position, permitting the vertically movable structure to descend by gravity to its normal position.

At one side of the frame member I2 there is slidably and rotatably mounted a rod 18. The opposite end has secured thereto an arm 19 which is mounted between flanges 8!] formed on the cross member 25 and which thus moves the rod 18 forwardly and backwardly in the movement of the pusher structure. A bar 8! is slidably mounted on the frame members I2 and carries a plurality of rack teeth 82 engageable with a pinion 83 which is splined to the rod it between a pair of bearing brackets 84. The rod 81 carries a pin 85 operating in a slotted opening in the end of a lever 86 which is pivotally mounted on the frame member i2 by means of a pin 81 (Fig. 2). The lever 86 carries a roller to engageable with a cam 39 carried by the cam shaft 55. The bar 8! carries a downwardly projecting member engageable by the projection 36 of cam 31.

In the operation of this portion of the apparatus, the arm 79 forms an extension of the pusher member 25 during the outward movement thereof. fore the roller 35 is released by the cam projection 35, the roller 88 is engaged by'a projection 8i on the cam 89 and thus moves the lever 86 and the bar SE to the right in Fig. 1. This movement of the bar operates through the rack teeth 82 and pinion 83 to rock the rod 18 and lift the arm 79 to a substantially vertical position. This position is maintained through the return movement of the pusher mechanism and until the projection 36 strikes the member 9i].

The latter event occurs just prior to the engagement of the projection 35 with the roller 35 for the initiation of a new movement of the pusher. The arm 79 is returned thereby position.

The position of the several projections on the cams are such that the outward movement of the pusher mechanism occupies a small percentage of the total time. The return movement is even more rapid since it is accomplished entirely by spring action. The provision of the arm i9 and the raising of said arm to a vertical position permits the continued delivery of articles on the conveyor 22 during both the outward and return movements of the pusher mechanism as long as the speed of the conveyor is such that it does not move more than the length of the arm is during the time that the pusher mechanism is out of its normal position. Since both the conveyor and the pusher mechanisms are driven from the same power source, they may be accurately timed so that no articles willpass the inner end of the arm 19 during the move H and At the end of said movement and beto its initial' receipt of articles on the conveyor 22 need .not 75 be interrupted. By this means the machine may easily take care of the capacity of a modern bottle forming machine.

The invention has been defined in one of its preferred forms, the details of which may be varied between wide limits without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claim.

The invention claimed is:

A feeder for a lehr having an endless lehr conveyor passing therethrough including a stationary frame structure, an endless conveyor traveling in a direction transverse to that of said lehr conveyor, a reciprocable pusher carried by said frame structure and adapted when recipro cated to move articles from said second mentioned conveyor to said first mentioned conveyor, said pusher having a pivotally mounted portion adjacent the end from which articles are received on said second endless conveyor, and power means for operating said'second mentioned conveyorand said pusher in timed relation and movement of said pusher being no greater than the length of said pivotally mounted portion of said, pusher.

JESSE E. FIGEL. 

